Contactor.



1.1. RUDDICK.

CONTACTOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22, 1915.

Patented Feb. 15, 1916.

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wire.

JOHN J. RUDDICK, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

Specification of Letters Eatent.

CONTACTOR.

Patented Feb. 15, 1916.

Application filed April 22, 1915. Serial Nol 23,202.

To all whom 2'25 may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. RUDDIGK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newton, county of MiddleseX,'State oflWlassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Contactors, of which the following description, in connection with the accoinpanying drawing, is a specification, like characterson the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to contactors such as areused in connection with block signal systems for electric railways for the purpose, of connecting a signaling circuit to the trolley wire so as to render said circuits active by the car entering or leaving the block. These contactors are usually placed adjacent the trolley wire and in position to be engaged by the trolley as it passes thereover, the engagement of the trolley with the contactor operating to close thesignaling circuit. v

The object of myinvention is to provide a novel contactor which is so constructed that a rapidly-moving trolley will operate it without any jar or shock and the engagement of the trolley therewith will be an easy and gradual one. I accomplish these ob jects by making the contactor an elongated one which extends longitudinally of the trolley wire adjacent thereto and which is yieldingly held in position to be engaged by the trolley as it passes along the'wire. The construction of my device is such that the action of inertiais eliminated.

'In order to give an understanding of my inventionI. have illustrated in the drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described. after which the novel features will be pointed-out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side View of a portion of a trolley car with acontactor associated therewith embodying my invention; Fig.2 is a top plan View; Fig. .3 is a bottom plan view; Fig. 4 isa section on the line 44, Fig. 1'; Fig. 5 is a section on the 2; Fig. 6 1s a section on theline 5-5, Fig. line 66, Fig. 1.

I have shown at 1 a portion of a trolley As stated above my improved contactor comprises a contact element extending longitudinally of the trolley wire but "insulated therefrom, said contactor element preferably being flexible and being held under tension in the direction of its length and also being yieldingly held in position to be engaged by a trolley passing along the trolley wire 1. In the illustrated embo'di ment of my invention this contactor is made in three sections pivoted together, said three sections being designated by 2, 3 and 4, respectively, and the sections 2 and 4 being pivoted to the section 3 at thepoints 5 and 6. The contactor is sustained in a position with the section 3 thereof extending substantially parallel to the trolley wire 1 but situated such a distance therefrom that a passing trolley wheel will engage the section 3 and thus electrically connect the same with thetrolley wire 1. The contactor has electricalconnection with a circuit 7 constituting one ofthe signaling circuits so that the engagement of the trolley with the contactor will connect thev circuit 7 to the trolley wire, thus energizing said circuit. The end sections 2 and 4 of the contactor are constructed so that the side or face 9 thereof adjacent the trolley wire diverges therefrom, thus forming tapering throats or passages between each end section and the trolley wire into which the trolley passes as it .moves over thetrolley .wire. This contactor is sustained on' a suitable frame which is carried'by the trolley wire but insulated therefrom, andwhile said frame may have any suitable constructionl have herein illustrated for this'purpose a bar 10 extending lon itudinally of the trolley wire, and spaced therefrom, sai'dbar beingconnected at each en'dto the trolley wire by means of an insulated connection. Thisbar is shown as having at each end ahead 11 provided with a recess in which is received a disk 12 of insulating-material, said disk being connected to the head by suitable screws or rivets 13.

Eachdi'skof insulating material has secured thereto a connecting member 14 to which the trolley wire 1 is fixedly secured. The

frame is thus rigidly secured to the trolley wire but insulated therefrom.

In order to support the contact from the 7 employed for preventing the tie-rod 17 from being accidentally removed from the slots 18. These latches are each shown as being acted on by a suitable spring 22 which holds it in its operative position, and the latches are so constructed as to allow the tie-rod 17 to have a certain amount of vertical play in the slots 18 so as to give certain flexibility to the device. lVhen the latches are swung into the dotted line position Fig. 4, the tie-rods 17 can be removed from the slots, thus permitting the contactor to be removed. from the frame.

As stated above, the contact element is held under tension in the direction of its length and is also yieldingly held in its operative position shown in the drawings. This is provided for herein by two springs 23, one at each end of the contact element, each spring being connected at one end to the end section of the contact element and being connected at the other end. to the head 11. As herein shown each spring is ad justably connected to the head 11 by being fastened .to an adjusting screw 24: that is screw-threaded into :1 lug 25 carried by the head. I will preferably provide a detachable connection between each spring and the contact element so as to permit the springs to be disconnected from the element if the latter is to be removed. while any appropriate detachable connection may be employed that herein shown is in the form of a hook 26 that hooks into an eye 27 formed in the end of the spring and is pivotally connected to the contact element, as shown at 28. Each hookelement is provided with an extended end or finger piece 29 by which it may be operated. to disengage it from the spring. Referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that if the end 29 of each hook is swung toward the end of the frame the eye 27 of the spring will be disengaged. from'the hook.

The end sections 2 and 4 areprovided with stop projections 30 which normally engagethe edge of the bar 10 and thus position the intermediate section 3 properly relative to the trolley wire 1. The connectionv of the springs 23 with the frame and contact element is such that the springs stand at a slight angle to the contact element and. therefore. they not only hold the contact element under tension in the direction of its length,-but they yieldingly hold the stop projections 30 against the edge of the bar 10. I

I/Vhen a trolley wheel moves along the trolley wire 1, one of the flanges of the wheel will enter the flaring throat between the face 9 of one-of the end sections 2. .4 and the trolley wire and will be gradually brought against the inner face of the contact element. The stop shoulders 30 are so constructed that the spaceBl between the section 3 and the trolley Wire is slightly less than the thickness of the flange of the trolley wheel, and as a result when the trolley wheel passes along thetrolley wire it will engage the inner face of the contact element and will crowd the latter slightly away from the trolley wire. This movement will, however, be a gradual one and one which is effected without any ar or vibration. Moreover, because the contact element is a flexible one the lateral movement occasioned bythe en-. gagement of the trolley wheel therewith will be a progressive one, that is, the end. of the contact element with which. the trolley wheel first engages will be first moved laterally and as the trolley wheel moves along the contact element the other end will be given subsequently its lateral movement. Be cause of this gradual or progressive movement the trolley will wipe by and pass over the contact element without producing any appreciable shock. Moreover, since the c0ntact element is of considerable length an electrical contact will be insured for a sufficiently long time to operate the signals, even though the trolley wheel is moving at a high rate of speed.

While I have illustrated herein a selected embodiment of my invention, I do not wish. to be limited to the constructional features shown.

I claim:

1. In a contactor, the combination With a trolley wire, of a flexible contact element extending longitudinally of the wire, insulated therefrom and held under tension. in the direction of its length.

2. In a contactor, the combination with a trolley wire, of a jointed contact element extending longitudinally of the wire, insulated therefrom and held under tension in the direction of its length.

3. In a contactor, the combinationv with a trolley wire, of a flexible contact element extending longitudinally of the wire and insulated therefrom, and means for holding said contact element under tension in the direction of its length and yieldingly in position to be engaged by a trolley wheel passing over the trolley wire.

4. In a contactor, the combination with a trolley wire, of a jointed contact-element extending longitudinally of the wire and insulated therefrom, and means acting on said element to hold it under tension in the direction of its length and yieldingly in--posi tionto beacted on by a trolley wheel passing over the wire.

5. In a contactor, the combination with a trolley wire, of a frame secured to said wire but insulated therefrom, a contact element removably sustained on said frame and extending longitudinally of the wire. and means acting on said element to hold it under tension in the direction; of its length and yieldingly in position to be engaged by a trolley wheel passing over the trolley wire. a

6. In a contactor, the combination with a trolley wire, of a frame secured to the wire but insulated therefrom, a flexible contact element extending longitudinally of the trolley wire, and yielding means connecting contact element extending longitudinally of the trolley wire, and aspring connection between each end of the contact element and the frame, said spring connections extending at an angle to the trolley wire whereby the contact element is yieldingly held adja-' cent the trolley wire and also maintained under tension.

8. In a contactor, the combination with a trolley wire, of a frame secured to said trolley wire but insulated therefrom, a jointed contact element extending longitudinally of the trolley wire, and a spring connection between each end of the contact element and the frame, said spring connections extending at an angle to the trolley wire whereby the contact element is yieldingly held adjacent the trolley wire and also maintained under tension, and stop projections carried by the contact element which engage the frame and limit the movement of the element toward the trolley wire.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN J. RUDDIGK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the flommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

